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To all whom it may concern citizen of the United States,

UNITED STATES PATENT @FFICE.

FRANK M. MERRITT, or PENN YAN, NEW'YORK.

CORN-'PLANTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters. Patent No. 269,088, dated December 12,1882.

Application filed July 27, 1882. (No model.)

Be it known that I, FRANK M. MERRITT, a residing at Penn Yan, in the county of Yates and State of New York, have invented a newan'd useful Improve ment in Fertilizing Attachments to Hand Corn Planters, specification.

My invention relates to improvements in fertilizing attachments in which thefertilizerdistributer operates in conjunction with the seed-dropping mechanism; andthe object of my invention is to provide a combined hand seed-planter and fertilizer-distributer simpler in construction, more durable and perfect in operation than thoseheretofore made. I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a part vertical section of the entire machine. Figs. 2, 3, 4, and 5 are detail parts of my improvement. l ig. 6. is a plan view of armed distributer and bottom of fertilizer-box. Fig. 7 is a front view of presserfoot seed-lever and fertilizer-lever. Fig. Sis an enlarged vertical section tilizer device.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

A represents the main staff, provided at its upper end with athandle for operating the U- shaped levers GandD through the medium of the presser-foot B, hinged between the flanged wedge-shaped shovel-piece E, secured to the lower end of staff A.

Fastened to the upper end of the lever D,

of which the following is a Fig. 7, is a' small rod, d, connecting with a common seed slide or'dropper, f, in the bottom of the seed-box H. Upon the opposite side of the main staffA is a similar box, a, in which phosphate or other fine fertilizer is placed.

In the center of the bottom, I), of the fertilizer-box a isa round hole,'throu.gh which the holtg, Fig. 8. is passedafter passing through the armed distributerwheel' I within the box, which is provided in its center with a square hole fitting the square portion of the bolt next its head, and-made toturn thereby.

Next to and beneath the bottom piece, I), and on the bolt 9, is slipped the ratchet-lever K, the arm or extended part being provided in part ofmy fer-' with a slot to receive the end L of the wire m passing from the resser-foot B through the upper end of the lever 0. Upon the same bolt, and next the lever K, is screwed the horizontal ratchet-wheel P, and made rigid therewith in a higher or lower position by the check-nut 0.

Between theratchet-wheel P, and in the openingp of the lever K, is placeda loose pawl, e,

, toothed upon its lower surface tofit and engage with the ratchet-teeth of the wheel P.

This pawl e is carried backward and forward by the lever K, yet allowed to rise and freely upon the ratchet-wheel P.

To theforward side of the seed-channel '1, next the staff A, and to and between the level s O and D, is fastened a spring, 8, which serves to throw the mechanism back to its normal position after being moved inward by the presser-foot B. v y

Through the inward side of the bottom piece, 12, Fig. 6, and directly over the seed-channel l is out a radial opening, 0, through which the fertilizer drops when carried over by the distributer-wheel I. In the fertilizenbox, and directly over this opening 0 in the bottom, I), fastened to the forward side otstaff A and extending down to upper side of the distributerwheel I is a tube, 0, flanged at its top to receive seed of any kind when wished to be dropped at intervals by hand. A slide or cut-' off, R, to regulate the quantity of fertilizer in a hill, is made to slide horizontallythrough the bottom piece, 1), across the opening 0, as shown in Fig. 6.

The operation of my fertilizer in connection with the seed-planter is as follows: lVhen the planter is in its normal position, as shown by Fig. 1, the slidefin the bottom of the seed-box H has already. deposited its regulated amount of seed in the seed-channel The shovel E is forced into the ground. The handle is then thrown forward until the seed-channel comes in contact with the levers O and D by the presser-foot resting upon the ground. In this position the shovels are apart and the seed has dropped from the seed-channel into the ground, the lever 0, through the medium of the wire L, slotted lever K, pawl a, ratchetwheel P and bolt 9, has caused the distributerwheel 1 to make one-eighth of a revolution over the opening 0, depositing fertilizer in the hill drop after the seed, the slide f has moved into the opening P of lever K, backward into the next notch of the ratchet-wheel P. The distributer-wheel I, moving in the fertilizer, causes suffieient friction to keep the mechanism from moving backward.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim, and wish to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a planter, the combination, with the 15 radially-opened bottom piece, I), the horizontally-armed distributor-wheel I, bolt g, ratchet- Wheel P, pawl e, slotted lever K, and slide R.

2. The combination, with the slotted lever K, of the wire L, the U-shaped levers O and 20 D, and spring S, all substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

JOHN C. FITZWATER, DAVID E. DEWEY. 

